random update from Steve

Hi, everyone! I'm the other guy who uses this blog on rare occasions to make my thoughts about comics known, Steve Higgins!

As always happens in the spring semester, I'm teaching a class called Comic Books as Literature at the school where I work, Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois, and this semester I've updated the curriculum a bit. I got tired of doing the same books over and over, so I switched three of the five books I teach so I could try something new. Right now I'm in the midst of teaching the first volume of Astro City for the first time. Next up will be my first attempt at Criminal (vol. 2: Lawless) and then after two books I've taught before (V for Vendetta and Sandman: Season of Mists) I will attempt to tackle Jimmy Corrigan.

So I will be updating much more frequently in the coming months, simply because I will have more to talk about for once.

Also I am going to be participating in three academic conferences related to comics. On March 27 I will be involved in the St. Louis Area Comics Friendly Faculty conference, probably taking part in the panel discussion on Comic in the Classroom. At the Comic Arts Conference which is associated with Wondercon (April 2 through 4) I will be presenting an expanded version of my first post here, analyzing the question of the identity of Holiday in Batman The Long Halloween. And in the middle of April I will be going to C2E2 to participate in their Comic Studies Conference, presenting on symbolism and visual motifs in Jar of Fools.

And finally I will be hosting my special guest lecture at the end of April again this year, bringing in a comic creator to discuss his creative process to the students of my school and the general public. I'm still finalizing the details, but it looks to be a pretty big event this year, as I am quite possibly going to be flying someone in special just for the event.

So keep your eyes peeled for future updates from me, Steve Higgins, the guy that writes here who isn't Chad (or Tim).